Meningitis B: why I’m not hunting down the vaccine

My Facebook feed/work conversations/news app have all been full of discussion and (to be honest) hysteria over the Meningitis B vaccine – or lack of – this week.

I sort of felt like a bit of a Churchill dog to be honest – I nodded along as people talked about how they have “called X amount of private clinics and it really IS true, there’s no more vaccine left!” and I’ve not really made much comment myself. I smiled and made “oh that’s a shame” noises in the right places but I’ve kept a bit schtum.

Because here’s the thing… I’m not even making the effort to look into it because I already know I won’t be putting us on any waiting list for the vaccine.

Now before any of the “anti-vaxers” start praising me for my wonderful decision, let me be clear about something – I am pro vaccinations. Pro. Because vaccinations save lives. End of.

The reason I won’t be playing scavenger hunt for ‘the shortest private waiting list’ is because we just can’t afford to spend over £400 on a vaccine that should be provided free of charge on the NHS. (Sorry anti-vaxers – I did warn you). £400 is a LOT of money. Maybe not to some people, but a huge amount to the majority.

One comment I’ve heard crop up a few times is that “you can’t put a price on your child’s head” – what a load of shit. No of course you can’t. But you also can’t just magic wads of cash out of thin air, can you? I know us Brits aren’t really supposed to talk about finances, but it’s just not something we have lying around.

We probably do have things we can sell though or corners we could cut, but here’s the other thing. I have done my research into Meningitis B figures and there are on average 1761 cases per year (I’ve excluded septicaemia figures). That’s clearly 1761 too many but it’s a lot less than a lot of other diseases.

In terms of probability (and believe me when I say I am touching all of the wood as I type this) it’s hopefully quite unlikely that Oz would contract it. I am also hopeful that we shouldn’t need to be on a waiting list because the government may have come to their senses about it all by the time the supply is freed up again (wishful thinking, right?).

I do wonder about the media furore around this as well and the worry that it’s causing a lot of parents, and I can’t help but be a tiny bit sceptical about all the lovely money the private clinics that offer the vaccine have made in the frantic rush for people to get their children in as quickly as possible. And the inevitable taxes the government will be collecting as a result.

When it comes to parenting choices like this you have to weigh up your options. Risk vs. practicality. In this case the practicalities outweigh the risk for us.

I only hope I don’t regret my decision.

Will you pay for your child to have the MenB vaccine (if they're not eligible through the NHS)?

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Thank you! Finally, a post about Men B that I can relate to. I don’t have spare cash or any savings to dip into, and I refuse to feel like a bad mother because I can’t afford a Men B vaccine. If the NHS could afford to give the vaccine to every single child, they would. But with budgets being cut left, right and centre they have to prioritise. And that’s why they’re giving the vaccine to those most at risk – young babies. Like you, I am touching all kinds of wood (well, not ALL kinds of wood) when I say all this.

Kelly

haha Yes maybe *I’M* not touching ALL kinds of wood either!

Thanks for your lovely comment Yolanda. I have had several “looks” this week when I’ve told people that I’m not going to look for the vaccine and it’s awful to feel like a crappy mum because you don’t have a few hundred quid just lying around the house! I am totally with you though – they have to prioritise and so do we as parents.

Zoё

We don’t have that kind of cash lying around either (especially after paying nursery fees), but we are going to save- by the time they actually have any of the vaccine I should be able to afford it… I can completely understand where you’re coming from though: to many families private vaccinations are out of reach. My family wouldn’t have been able to afford to get me vaccinated when I was young. I’m just thankful that I’m in a position where I can save for this. I really don’t think anyone should be judged for not being able to afford it!

In an ideal world all our little ones would get this on the NHS but sadly it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen any time soon and my 18 month old is unlikely to get it when he is quite young and more at risk if I don’t go private.

AT

Why would you exclude septicaemia figures? That’s the most worrying part of men b!

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